Vision and Commitment Sunday 2019

Dan Leathers

Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

Mark 12:41–44

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Mark 12:41–44 NIV

41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

What is your sacrificial gift to God? - foreshadowing the gift Jesus would give - everything

Lord, take my lips and speak through them; Take our minds and think through them; Take our hearts and set them on fire with love for Yourself, Lord Jesus. Amen

Intro: 2

The story of the widow’s mite – retelling

So we find Jesus in an interesting place today. He’s sat in the temple opposite the place where the offerings were being placed, and he’s watching all those who are putting their money in

He see’s some of the rich people throwing in large amounts of money. The way Mark writes it, we get the impression of the display of wealth that is going on here.

If we’re aware of how much someone is contributing, we can fall into the trap of thinking ‘well they must be doing well, thy’re loaded’

And in our brokenness, we start to question the motives of the person giving.

But here we have Jesus, the only true judge sitting and commenting on the daily practice of giving to the temple by all the Jews who enter

And he spots one poor widow

As a widow in that culture, unless she was supported by a son or other male relative, she sadly wouldn’t be looked after. She might have to beg for money, or she might be able to make a small living, but not enough to fully support herself

And here she is with her two copper coins.

In worldly value, they would make little to no difference to the common pot

But to Jesus, this was the best gift of the lot

Because "The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (NIV)

And Jesus says

“Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.

They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” (NIV)

So what’s Jesus saying?

That we should sell all our belongings and give them all to him?

Well to some people he does, but that’s not the heart of this key teaching

Out of her love for God and out of her trust in him to provide for he needs, the widow gives sacrifically

Jesus comments that out of her poverty, she put everything in

She laid it all before God

Her heart was right and she gave it all

Those who had lots of money, just gave some of their wealth. If they’d given sacrificially and with the right heart, then Jesus would have said something different

In Mark’s account of the life of Jesus, this is the last scene in Jesus’ public ministry before he is the events of his death and resurrection.

And the widow’s act of love and trust in God foreshadow the event where Jesus, God himself, will take our place on the cross,

that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that we through his poverty might become rich. (NIV)

9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

Jesus is asking us to give of our first fruits, this biblical concept of giving the best of what we have

The first fruits are the best of the bunch, their the cream of the crop, and out of our love for God, we give them to him

1 Chronicles 29:11–14 NIV

11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. 13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. 14 “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.

Part of being a follower of Jesus is giving every part of our lives to him.

Our aim is to give a part of our day to him in prayer and bible reading, we give a day a week to him with the Sabbath, we give up our time to serve him in many different ways, and we take our place in the service to the local community through serving in Church

But giving of our money, that thing we hold onto tightly, that thing that give us security, or that just gets us the basics of life, and giving sacrificially out of our money seems like one of the hardest things to do in our service to Jesus

John Wesley famously said once ‘The last part of a man to be converted is his wallet’

And yet Jesus asks us to give sacrificially.

So what do we mean by sacrificially?

In giving terms, it means giving more than is comfortable.

By giving more than feels comfortable, we’re stepping out in faith, we’re trusting God as provider

He wrote a book called the purpose driven life which sold millions of copies, and suddenly he found himself with loads of money in his bank account

I shared a couple of months ago about a really hard time with our finances. Just after Josh was born, we ended up in a flat we could only just afford, with just enough to cover the essentials of life

I heard him speak down in London at a leadership conference in 2012 and he was asked about how he deals with his finances. And after

The first thing we could have cut was our tithe, our 10%, and I considered it, but we felt God ask us to trust him.

So we didn’t cut our tithe, we cut other things and our funds were still very tight and some months I wasn’t sure how we’d make ends meet.

But do you know what, God is good, and he is our provider. That step of faith changed our lives. Out of seeing God provide, I know that he always will, that I can trust in him, and he does provide

What is your gift of sacrifice to God?

The world will know that you are my disciples as you love one another

She loved to spend time with those who were important to her, and she sought to do what God was calling her to do in everything.

Her family were wealthy and used to be pretty normal, for a wealthy family.

But when her Father became ill, he had to be quarantined and kept away from the rest of the community. The heart ache she’d felt at being separated from her loving Dad.

She was comforted by her brother and sister. Her brother a man of few words, but much love, and her sister a woman who kept herself busy loving and serving everyone she met, through her hard work and great hospitality.

They had a good friend, a preacher and teacher who was always travelling. But whenever he was near their town, he would always visit them. Through the heart ache of loosing her Father to the quarantine zone, this friend had been like no other. The way he spoke to her, the way he looked at her, the way he loved her and her family. This preacher was something different. God was with him, and in him in a different way.

After quite a separation, her Father was returned to the family. He presented himself to the local priest, who checked for signs of the contagious illness and found nothing. A miracle had happened. Whether it really was the illness he’d been quarantined for, or another skin disease, it had now completely gone, he was completely healed, and she had her Father back.

But then her brother had taken ill. Her brother of few words became ever so ill. He deteriorated quickly. When the woman heard that the preacher wasn’t too far away, she sent one of the servants to go and find him. He was close to all the family, he would want to be there. But she believed that this man could heal her brother.

In waiting for the teacher to arrive, her brother died. The teacher was late and when she saw him she fell at his feet and she cried out “my Lord, if only you’d have been here my brother would not have died”

And as the teacher walked towards the tomb where her brother lay, he spoke to her dead brother, he commanded the stone rolled away and out from the tomb came her brother.

The teacher stayed in their town for a few days before his journey to the Holy City for the great festival of their deliverance

And one night, her Father held a meal. A meal in honour of this preacher who knew God like no-one else and spoke with his authority.

As was the custom, only the men were present, and the woman’s role was to serve at the table and then to leave the men to their conversation

But this preacher had been there for the woman at every turn. He’d supported her family, and loved them, and he’d restored their family.

She knew what she had to do. She got out the jar of exotic perfume from it’s hiding place. This precious liquid, squeezed from the nard plant of India was expensive. It would take an average labourer a whole year to earn enough money for this jar of the liquid.

And she took it into the meal while the men were speaking.

She approached the preacher with her head bowed, and as the conversation stopped and all eyes watched her, she broke open the alabaster jar of nard and poured it on the preacher’s head and it ran right down to his feet.

· Friends, there are many things I could share with you on this day of vision and commitment.

· Indeed I believe God has given me a number of things to share, but today is about you and Jesus.

· It’s about your covenant with Him.

· I took a few liberties with that story, but just imagine for a moment, that you are bowed before your Lord and Master, Jesus Christ

Take the woman’s place in your imagination, in the temple, with Jesus watching, I wonder what you would put in?

· …

· Will you recommit yourself to him today?

· What will you bring him?

· What is your offering of sacrifice?

Values

· Everything starts from here – without loving him we can’t do the rest

· We love Jesus because he first loved us

· Because he reaches out to us when we’re lost and rescues us.

· And he doesn’t just swoop in like a superhero, fix the situation and fly away

· He commits to us, he commits to walking the journey of life with us

· I bring my nard to him, my sacrifice of thanks and praise, my money, my time, my life to him because he first loved me

· Friends we talk about it a lot, because it is everything to us.

· But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

· Everything in this Parish, in our lives needs to start here. We have a God who came into our mess and died to make a way for us to know the love of God and to live in freedom

· I’m looking for an answer now. This isn’t rhetorical. St James - Do you love Jesus?

· Pray

Loving each other

· We need to love each other

· Many of you know that part of my role is spending time with couples looking for baptism for their children.

· It’s a wonderful part of my job, and I’m not light on what baptism is. I lay it out, we explore what the good news of Jesus is and exactly what baptism looks like.

· But I also use the opportunity to ask couples what they’re experience of walking through the door for the first time is. And without an exception I am told how welcoming, how friendly and how warm the Church welcome is here at St James.

· This is an encouragement to us on our welcome of new members, but friends lets not get complacent. How do we keep that welcome as people make their home here.

· I still see the huddles of friendship groups after the service here. In one sense that’s natural but watch it. We don’t want cliques or exclusive groups in the Church. Make sure you’re looking around and getting to know those who you don’t know, as well as catching up with those you do.

· And I speak as someone who has been very loved by this church, and as one of your leaders who loves you.

· I know that some of you are not living in peace with each other. I’ve heard conversations where there is distrust or deep bitterness towards other members within our body whether within this congregation or across the two churches.

· I’ve heard folk say “well if it’s at St Luke’s I shan’t be attending”.

· You’re my family, which is why I want to share with you the command that Jesus has for us…

34“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

(NIV)

And his prayer and vision for us

20“I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,

21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—

23I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

At St Mark’s we have some core statements which explain our heart and motivation behind all that we do

(NIV)

· Paul writes:

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

· Division is not part of God’s vision for this place, not for you not for all of us

· And can I just add here, the enemy loves to steal joy and seed disunity. And one way is to get in through materialism.

· A few weeks ago at the Vineyard vision and update session I shared about our new car. How we’d bought this particular car to have adventures in. But how I let the enemy use this material object to cause me to sin by shouting at the lads when actually all they’d done was get into the new car and start to look excited about all the new buttons as they explored it.

· I believe God has given us vision for our buildings in Whitfield Parish. And I do believe that involved progressing them and just halting.

· But we mustn’t let our disagreements be the seed of division here. A lot of mistrust has been bred here and I am committed to being a listening voice here, so if you have concerns, get in touch with me and we’ll have a coffee and I want to hear you.

· But I also ask that you trust. That you trust the governance of this Church to those who God has given it to.

· I truly believe that Glossop will see that we are his disciples, if we love one another, as he has loved us.

· One more passage from Paul as this has been a personal challenge to me at the New Wine Leadership Conference and it’s regarding not being at peace with each other as we come to the Lords table in communion. Just listen to these words

26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

27So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

28Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.

29For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.

31But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.

In fact these value statements jumped out at me when I was exploring whether God was calling our family to join you in the adventure he’s called St Mark’s on

32Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.

; (NIV)

· I’m glad it’s not communion today. Because the Lord showed me that I have listened to a number of things recently about others and I have been grieved by the lack of love. However, he revealed that I’ve been harbouring resentment against those people and I need to deal with it before communion next week.

· Brothers and Sisters, we need to love each other, and we need to be reconciled, brought back together in love under Jesus, through Him and for Him.

· So just have a moment of quiet to think about Whitfield Parish. Is there someone who has hurt you, whether they knew it or not?

· If so, you need to act. I suggest that you have a week before communion.

· Who do you need to ask God’s help to forgive? And who do you need to approach this week? Who do you need to ring for a chat? If you don’t want to do it one-to-one then ask if you can invite a trusted friend. Have a chat with your LIFE group leader or you MAT group leader or with Rob, Martin or myself.

· Will you be refused communion if you don’t? Of course not, this is between you and Jesus, this is about your covenant with Him. I don’t know your mind, and I’m not the judge. But I ask you, will you follow him, will you obey him?

· If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, [will you] live at peace with everyone. ()

Who are we?

Time of confession…

….

Loving our town

· Our final value is Loving our Town

How do we do thing?

· How are we loving our town?

· Let’s take a look

Where are we heading?

What’s important?

1. Run Video

Why do we exist?

The vision of the wave

2 weeks ago, I took the staff team to the New Wine leadership conference, over 500 Christian leaders in the north of England, meeting together for 3 days to hear from some inspirational speakers, and to hear what God was saying to each of us in our own contexts. We worshiped together and we prayed together.

· And we do this in 3 ways

On the first night, we were invited to listening to the still small whisper of God.

1. Listen to God

2. Understand what he’s saying

And in that time of silence, I heard God whisper ‘are you ready’

3. Boldly going where he’s calling us and doing what he’s called us to do

· Every ministry team exercises these 3 regularly in prayer and action, but in particularly outreaching to our community are our Mission Area Teams. These are 3 things which I believe we need to be doing every day with our daily walk with Jesus, asking him “what are we doing today, who are we speaking to today”

And I said, “ready for what Lord?”

· And this week, at the New Wine Leadership Conference, God gave me a vision of Whitfield Parish

I felt him say “for a new wave of my spirit bringing new believers. People who need much love, people who need me in their lives. People who are hurting, who are lost, who need much love and much grace”

I felt him saying that he would restore the years lost by the church, but that he had no place for pride, the pride of an organisation. That we are called to be his children, and follow where he was leading.

That night, I shared what I felt I’d heard from God with the team, and said that with anything this big, we needed to test it, to pray into it, and if it was from god it would grow in us, and if it wasn’t, it would fall away.

Well on the final morning, New Wine ditched their programme and instead opened the whole morning up to god to speak. (This hasn’t happened at any of the previous conferences I’ve attended)

And the speaker, a guy called Steve Uppal, confirmed my picture of the new wave of people coming, and asked the question were we ready. Now he was speaking to all the gathered church leaders, he had no idea he’d directly confirmed this word from God to us. And you should have seen the faces of the staff team, who were looking from me to him and whispering - that was your picture Dan. Steve, the speaker, was saying that God had laid ion his heart an impression that a new wave of God’s Spirit was coming on Britain starting in the north, and were we ready.

And the mandate, is

Isaiah 61:1–4 NIV

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. 4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

Isaiah 6:11–Isaiah 14 NIV

11 Then I said, “For how long, Lord?” And he answered: “Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, 12 until the Lord has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken. 13 And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.” 1 When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it. 2 Now the house of David was told, “Aram has allied itself with Ephraim”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind. 3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field. 4 Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. 5 Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have plotted your ruin, saying, 6 “Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” 7 Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “ ‘It will not take place, it will not happen, 8 for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. 9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’ ” 10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 15 He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. 17 The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.” 18 In that day the Lord will whistle for flies from the Nile delta in Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria. 19 They will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the crevices in the rocks, on all the thornbushes and at all the water holes. 20 In that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River—the king of Assyria—to shave your head and private parts, and to cut off your beard also. 21 In that day, a person will keep alive a young cow and two goats. 22 And because of the abundance of the milk they give, there will be curds to eat. All who remain in the land will eat curds and honey. 23 In that day, in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels, there will be only briers and thorns. 24 Hunters will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns. 25 As for all the hills once cultivated by the hoe, you will no longer go there for fear of the briers and thorns; they will become places where cattle are turned loose and where sheep run. 1 The Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.” 2 So I called in Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses for me. 3 Then I made love to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 4 For before the boy knows how to say ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.” 5 The Lord spoke to me again: 6 “Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoices over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, 7 therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates— the king of Assyria with all his pomp. It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks 8 and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, Immanuel!” 9 Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered! 10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us. 11 This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people: 12 “Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. 13 The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread. 14 He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. 15 Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured.” 16 Bind up this testimony of warning and seal up God’s instruction among my disciples. 17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my trust in him. 18 Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion. 19 When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. 21 Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness. 1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan— 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. 4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. 5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. 8 The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel. 9 All the people will know it— Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria— who say with pride and arrogance of heart, 10 “The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.” 11 But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s foes against them and has spurred their enemies on. 12 Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west have devoured Israel with open mouth. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. 13 But the people have not returned to him who struck them, nor have they sought the Lord Almighty. 14 So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day; 15 the elders and dignitaries are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail. 16 Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are led astray. 17 Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men, nor will he pity the fatherless and widows, for everyone is ungodly and wicked, every mouth speaks folly. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. 18 Surely wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns, it sets the forest thickets ablaze, so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke. 19 By the wrath of the Lord Almighty the land will be scorched and the people will be fuel for the fire; they will not spare one another. 20 On the right they will devour, but still be hungry; on the left they will eat, but not be satisfied. Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring: 21 Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh; together they will turn against Judah. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. 1 Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, 2 to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. 3 What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? 4 Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. 5 “Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath! 6 I send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets. 7 But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations. 8 ‘Are not my commanders all kings?’ he says. 9 ‘Has not Kalno fared like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad, and Samaria like Damascus? 10 As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria— 11 shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?’ ” 12 When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes. 13 For he says: “ ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their kings. 14 As one reaches into a nest, so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations; as people gather abandoned eggs, so I gathered all the countries; not one flapped a wing, or opened its mouth to chirp.’ ” 15 Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it, or the saw boast against the one who uses it? As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up, or a club brandish the one who is not wood! 16 Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will send a wasting disease upon his sturdy warriors; under his pomp a fire will be kindled like a blazing flame. 17 The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame; in a single day it will burn and consume his thorns and his briers. 18 The splendor of his forests and fertile fields it will completely destroy, as when a sick person wastes away. 19 And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down. 20 In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 21 A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God. 22 Though your people be like the sand by the sea, Israel, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overwhelming and righteous. 23 The Lord, the Lord Almighty, will carry out the destruction decreed upon the whole land. 24 Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says: “My people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians, who beat you with a rod and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did. 25 Very soon my anger against you will end and my wrath will be directed to their destruction.” 26 The Lord Almighty will lash them with a whip, as when he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb; and he will raise his staff over the waters, as he did in Egypt. 27 In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat. 28 They enter Aiath; they pass through Migron; they store supplies at Mikmash. 29 They go over the pass, and say, “We will camp overnight at Geba.” Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul flees. 30 Cry out, Daughter Gallim! Listen, Laishah! Poor Anathoth! 31 Madmenah is in flight; the people of Gebim take cover. 32 This day they will halt at Nob; they will shake their fist at the mount of Daughter Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem. 33 See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will lop off the boughs with great power. The lofty trees will be felled, the tall ones will be brought low. 34 He will cut down the forest thickets with an ax; Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One. 1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— 3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. 6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. 11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean. 12 He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth. 13 Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish, and Judah’s enemies will be destroyed; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim. 14 They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west; together they will plunder the people to the east. They will subdue Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them. 15 The Lord will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea; with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand over the Euphrates River. He will break it up into seven streams so that anyone can cross over in sandals. 16 There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt. 1 In that day you will say: “I will praise you, Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. 2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” 3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 In that day you will say: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. 5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. 6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.” 1 A prophecy against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw: 2 Raise a banner on a bare hilltop, shout to them; beckon to them to enter the gates of the nobles. 3 I have commanded those I prepared for battle; I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath— those who rejoice in my triumph. 4 Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together! The Lord Almighty is mustering an army for war. 5 They come from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens— the Lord and the weapons of his wrath— to destroy the whole country. 6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. 7 Because of this, all hands will go limp, every heart will melt with fear. 8 Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame. 9 See, the day of the Lord is coming —a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger— to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. 10 The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. 11 I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless. 12 I will make people scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir. 13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty, in the day of his burning anger. 14 Like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd, they will all return to their own people, they will flee to their native land. 15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through; all who are caught will fall by the sword. 16 Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be looted and their wives violated. 17 See, I will stir up against them the Medes, who do not care for silver and have no delight in gold. 18 Their bows will strike down the young men; they will have no mercy on infants, nor will they look with compassion on children. 19 Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the pride and glory of the Babylonians, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. 20 She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; there no nomads will pitch their tents, there no shepherds will rest their flocks. 21 But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about. 22 Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds, jackals her luxurious palaces. Her time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged. 1 The Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land. Foreigners will join them and unite with the descendants of Jacob. 2 Nations will take them and bring them to their own place. And Israel will take possession of the nations and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land. They will make captives of their captors and rule over their oppressors. 3 On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended! 5 The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, 6 which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression. 7 All the lands are at rest and at peace; they break into singing. 8 Even the junipers and the cedars of Lebanon gloat over you and say, “Now that you have been laid low, no one comes to cut us down.” 9 The realm of the dead below is all astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you— all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise from their thrones— all those who were kings over the nations. 10 They will all respond, they will say to you, “You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us.” 11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you. 12 How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” 15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. 16 Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, 17 the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?” 18 All the kings of the nations lie in state, each in his own tomb. 19 But you are cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch; you are covered with the slain, with those pierced by the sword, those who descend to the stones of the pit. Like a corpse trampled underfoot, 20 you will not join them in burial, for you have destroyed your land and killed your people. Let the offspring of the wicked never be mentioned again. 21 Prepare a place to slaughter his children for the sins of their ancestors; they are not to rise to inherit the land and cover the earth with their cities. 22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord Almighty. “I will wipe out Babylon’s name and survivors, her offspring and descendants,” declares the Lord. 23 “I will turn her into a place for owls and into swampland; I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord Almighty. 24 The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen. 25 I will crush the Assyrian in my land; on my mountains I will trample him down. His yoke will be taken from my people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.” 26 This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. 27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back? 28 This prophecy came in the year King Ahaz died: 29 Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken; from the root of that snake will spring up a viper, its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent. 30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety. But your root I will destroy by famine; it will slay your survivors. 31 Wail, you gate! Howl, you city! Melt away, all you Philistines! A cloud of smoke comes from the north, and there is not a straggler in its ranks. 32 What answer shall be given to the envoys of that nation? “The Lord has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.”

Isaiah 6:1–4 NIV

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

Are we ready for a new wave of the spirit of God, here in Haydock?

I believe the Lord is sending new believers our way, and we need to get ready.

On Sundays, I am told that we are such a welcoming church, but we mustn’t become complacent in that. Welcome is everyone’s job, and I hope that anyone who visits us will receive a warm welcome and an invitation to chat or to coffee afterwards. As people settle, my heart is that they are invited to join a cell or small group within a few weeks of arriving.

And to make sure we have a warm welcome, I’m looking for folk who God is calling to be a part of a new welcome team, not just on the door, but particularity helping link those coming into our church for the first time, with others who can help them feel welcome. And to have termly welcome meals for new people too.

I’m also passionate about good hospitality, and I’m looking to initiate a hospitality team. A team of people who are passionate about serving great refreshments, becoming part of a team of cooks or servers for our alphas, turkey barms and other such big food related events. But more than just food, a team committed to hospitality, to serving people through a welcome that meets their physical needs

But I don’t believe this wave is just for Sunday

I believe God is asking us to rise up and serve our parish, our community even more. With an amazing project like TANGO, it’s easy to think that the mission is being done by TANGO and we can get on with other things.

The reality is that TANGO are down to 25 volunteers alongside the staff to man the shop, the warehouse and the cafe. And I think God’s scope for our project is even larger than it currently is. To see a holistic support network where people in need, people living with addictions or who are Just About managing to cope with life, can get support from the local church. Where the lonely are given company, where the struggling family can receive support.

And TANGO is tan important vehicle for meeting the initial needs of our community, but I believe that God’s scope is even bigger.

So I’m sharing with you some of the bigger picture which God has been revealing to me over the past 5 months.

It’s big, it’s scary, it’s risky and I believe God is in it.

Are you up for joining me in praying for this venture, in asking the Lord to reveal how he wants this to become a reality?

Will you commit your time and money to the common pot for the mission and ministry of St Mark’s.

You know, it’s not about making St Mark’s great. If we think it is, then we will fall. But, it’s about being faithful disciples of Jesus, fixing our eyes on him, listening to him, discerning his will and boldly following him into the unknown, where his Spirit has gone before us.

· He took me to just outside the gates of the Church on York Terrace facing the Whitfield estate. And as I looked over I saw a pink mist start to float across my view and out across the estate. He then took me to Norfolk Square where I saw the mist permeating every part of the area. Again I saw it in Shirebrook, around the St Luke’s are and out towards Wren’s nest. And I asked God “what is the mist?”. And he said “it is the pleasant aroma, the attractive fragrance of my people, filled with my Spirit and loving like this town has never been loved”

· It’s us, Loving Jesus, Loving each other and Loving this town in a new way. He’s put more on my heart which I’ll unpack in future sermons, but for today I want you to dream dreams with God.

· Don’t hide the light of Jesus within you. But before worrying about whether people are ready to hear about Jesus or worrying about what words to say – let’s recommit to love this town and it’s people

· Let’s not hide what God has done for us and given us. After all, we don’t want to be like sweet smelling fruit which when kept hidden in a bag for a long time ends up being quite off putting and smelly

· Let’s join God and be his fragrant aroma in Glossop. That people would know that we are his disciples because of our love for each other, and our love for them and pray that they would want to find freedom with him too

· And do you know what, I know this is a vision God showed me of the Church family, of Whitfield Parish beyond my time here.

· I felt him say to me that my ministry this year is as a John the Baptist, preparing the way for… and I quote what I clearly felt God say ... “the amazing man or woman that I am sending to Whitfield”. Someone is coming who God has chosen and they don’t yet know it’s them. So we need to continue praying for our new minister through the discernment and interview process

What is your gift of sacrifice to God?

· I’m coming into land friends.

· It’s important, at least once a year, to think about how much Jesus has given us, and how much we will give him in return

· What is your priceless sacrifice to God?

· God wants to use you in every area of your life, after all we’re apprentices to him both inside and outside of Church

· But, regular church attendance is important if this is to be the refueling point of the week, a place of reconnection with God and a place to be equipped for the mission he has for you and him to partner in

So What is your nard?

· It’s important, at least once a year, to think about how much he has given us, and how much we will give him in return

· It’s about your covenant with him

· And I want you for a moment to think about your time and income. Where do you currently spend your time and your money?

· …

Jesus said

· “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. (NIV)

· We give because we are changed by him, and give in partnership, in covenant with him

· What I’m asking you to consider is how much you give to the Church this morning, are you committed to work of this church?

· Your precious sacrificial offering could be giving your time to one of our ministry areas

· It could be serving this body of St mark’s and TANGO with your skills

· It may be continuing to give to the church, considering raising your giving or maybe if you’re not giving, to start

· Perhaps it’s to share the resources you’ve been given (like the members of the church who create beautiful cards, bird boxes and a like, and give the proceeds to the church)

· Now I’m not going to shy away from speaking about money

Just to run St Mark’s on it’s current budget costs about £24 per adult per week

That’s £102 per adult per month

The best way to give regularly is by standing order, but you can also give through envelopes

And if you’re a UK tax payer, please do tick the gift aid box, as we claimed £30,000 back in gift aid last year as the government gives and extra 25p on top of every tax payers donation.

· We all have different incomes and God asks us to give from what he’s given us, and that will be different for each one of us

· In the Old Testament we see the practice of giving a tithe which is 10% of our income – that used to be in wheat and other foods which was the currency of early Israel (; ; ; )

And I find this a helpful threshold to start with

· The Church or England recommend you give 5% to your local Church and 5% in other ways

Some people feel that they should give 10% to their local church and anything else they can afford above that to charities

· And you know what – when I started tithing it was more hard changing my heart about it. I started by tithing my student loan, and then when I met Claire we didn’t have much money and found some months tough to make it financially. The easiest thing to cut was our giving to God. In fact we decided not to up our giving and rely on God to support us and he did.

· If you love Jesus and you believe he loves you too, then he will provide for you. Giving our money to God is a sign of trust in him, and our faith grows massively.

· I’m asking you to consider giving at least 5% of your income to St Mark’s as you join in the amazing work God is doing here

· And then what you spend the next 5% is a great prayerful conversation between you and God, whether you give it to charities for aid, or education, local or international

· Friends this isn’t for me to tell you what to do, all I want to do is ask you to consider partnering God, giving to him out of what you’ve received with your time, your skills your money and your resources

· Hopefully you’ve each received commitment form. I’d love you to read it, and pray through it. And then I’m asking every adult in the parish to fill in the commitment form. It doesn’t matter what your response is, and each commitment will be held confidentially by Verna the treasurer and our Lynn Smith gift secretary. We’d like you to pray into this over the coming week and return it either next week or the following week to the yellow box on the welcome table at the entrance

Response

· So if you want to recommit yourself to Jesus, to partner with him then would you stand this morning

· Let’s stand in quiet for a moment imagining we’re kneeling before him, and if you feel able perhaps you would kneel with me

· Lord Jesus, we love you and thank you for your love for us

· We bring all that we are, all that we have, and we present it all to you

· You have blessed us with time, skills, money and resources and we ask for your guidance as to how we spend them

· Speak to us Lord, meet us in this place and direct our hands and our feet

· ….

Notes

Andrew’s Vision sermon

Everything starts with worship

- Therefore go and make disciples in the name of the Father…

- Make followers

- Underpins anything we do, any vision we have

- Surely I am with you always to the very end of the age

- Watch the overview video – this is where our time, effort, money, prayers have been spent on

- Is there anyone who would like to share how they’ve grown as a disciple this year

Loving Jesus

Loving each other

- An advertisement for others “see how these people love one another”

Loving our town

- 35,000 people who live in here, barely 500 across the churches of Glossop

- Have a bold vision

Andrew used flipchart

- Up, out and in

- Up - Loving each other – prayer course, LIFE groups, praying together as churches – “that they be one”, how do we grow as discipleship

- In –

- Out – MATs – our primary strategic vehicle’s for mission in this

The PCC put together a Parish Development Plan

Landing

I would love you to read the leaflets you’ve been given today

Pledge form – will you pray for this vision, will you pray for this parish. Are you going to join a ministry area or re-commit to a Mission Area team or a LIFE group?

It’s only the treasurer and the giving secretary who see what you give in this parish and it is completely confidential, I don’t see that, no-one else see’s that

Are you going to join our army of giving to the general work of the Church?

We are the body of Christ together. My biblical expectation is that you’ll give in prayer, time, money

This is how much it costs to run the church – 4 building

We give in a response to what he has given us

Other notes – from PowerPoint template ‘powerful presentations’

1) PREPARE

Why does this matter to your audience?

It’s what we’re about, it’s what we are seeking to achieve through everything we do

Where are you taking them?

On a journey discovering why these are important

2) Define

Get your facts straight - Who | What | Where | When | Why

3) Support

We perceive the world through more than our eyes and ears; we smell, we touch, and we taste.

Put your audience in that place and provide them a point of reference; the imagination will do the rest.

4) ENGAGE

Visualize key messages

A picture is worth a thousand words…

Make a statement

Using graphics, charts, and infographics

5) Lead - Know the end at the beginning

Start your story with an outline, a framework of points you need to have to tell your story, always moving forward to the conclusion or action points

TAKEAWAY

What do you want them to remember?

That we’re only in it for God and we seek to work to his vision for this parish –

INSPIRE

Get them excited about what’s to come

What’s coming up – Easter Peg Hunt,

ACTION

What do you want them to do as a result?

Commissioners

Related Media

Related Sermons

Vision and Commitment Sunday 2019

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Intro: 2

Values

Loving each other

Loving our town

The vision of the wave

What is your gift of sacrifice to God?

Response

Other notes – from PowerPoint template ‘powerful presentations’

Other notes – from PowerPoint template ‘powerful presentations’